Pete’s on the prowl for unpublished Ghost Tracks

Check out Pete’s column in our newsletter, “Motorsports Racing Legacies“, where he talks about his trip in December to Iowa to help that SCCA Region kick off their 50th anniversary year.  While there, he took a sidetrip to Vichy (wow, what a sidetrip), Missouri (not France!) where he found good wine…and another Ghost Track in that area.

After much bidding (some would call it nagging) Pete had outlined plans for a Ghost Tracks II for 2009.  He already has much of the research. But he has put out the call for information on any unchartered Ghost Tracks.  Email him with that information at archivist@SCCA.com. 

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YooHoo…we’re on YouTube

 Check out this video tour of Ghost Tracks by Pete Hylton.

Cars and Characters

Ghost Tracks is not only a look at race tracks, but at cars and characters. That’s what  Gordan  Maltby of Porsche 356 Registry. Here is the complete review.

Ghost Tracks is a fascinating look not only at the venues, but the cars and characters that made up early SCCA racing across this country. Pete Hylton weaves historical data with personal stories and lots of great old photos from tracks that were famous, and some that most of us have never heard of. As a midwesterner, it’s fun for me to read about once-thriving road courses like Meadowdale and Lynndale Farms, and to see photos from the first years of Road America. Tracks from all other parts of the country are also covered in detail, including the many airport and military base courses that gave SCCA a running start in its formative years. For any road racing fan, this is an enlightening and entertaining trip down memory straightaway.

Informative, entertaining, and worth keeping

Beverly Little,from the Forney Museum of Transportation, in Denver, Colorado, recently wrote us about Ghost Tracks.

“Mr. Hylton has done what many would love to do—researched once
popular sports car racing tracks and gone searching for their remains.
The resulting book is informative, entertaining, and worth keeping for
that day when one feels a need to go exploring.

Former race tracks in all corners of the U.S. are presented with maps,
photos of races, great stories of each one’s grand old days, and is then
profiled on it’s current state of affairs. Sadly, most are derelict or
completely gone—ghosts of their former selves. The book shines a little
light on an aspect of the changing culture of the U.S. that the average
gear-head hasn’t yet realized is gone—but is going to miss mightily one
day soon. Thanks to Mr. Hylton, we have an accurate record to rely upon.”

The Forney Transportation Museum is a one-of-a-kind collection of over 500 exhibits relating to historical transportation. It began with antique cars, but soon expanded to include vehicles of all kinds. Some of these are familiar, while others spark the imagination.  Among the cars in the collection are the Porsche 928 that Tom Cruise drove in  “Risky Business”, Amelia Earhart’s Gold Bug Kissel, and Prince Aly Khan’s Rolls Royce.  Visit the museum’s website at http://forneymuseum.org/

Go to Legacy Ink Publishing to order your copy of Pete Hylton’s Ghost Tracks.

Ghost Tracks = Armchair Racing

The sports car racing season is winding down…at least for this year. But even though your friends can’t be at the races for a few months, they can visit the tracks. The Ghost Tracks, that is. Let them settle down in their favorite easy chair with Pete Hylton’s “Ghost Tracks” to take a trans continental tour of racing greatest venues. From Marlboro to the Pacific Raceway and all of the great venues in between, Hylton traveled the country in his search to find out what happened to more than 50 of racing’s historic sites.To order Ghost Tracks for yourself or as a gift, go to Legacy Ink Publishing.

Confessions of a Racing Rookie

I am an educated person with an above average ability to grasp new information.  (Except for my cell phone.  And that is why I have a teen age daughter.)  In my career, I have written and edited publications for hospitals, steel mills, law enforcement, the military, engineering, education…well, you get the picture.  When my partner and I threw our hat into the publishing ring, so to speak, a year ago, I didn’t really expect to run into a subject that I couldn’t comprehend. With research and an ample helping of bull roar, I have been able to write and speak with confidence on every subject I have tackled.

Then we were referred to Pete Hylton, and the world of sports car racing.  I should have gotten a clue when, while we were still in production on his book, I emailed him to ask if he had or could refer me to information about our race track in Paducah, Kentucky.  We were talking to the management about doing a history book on that track. I figured a trackis a track. Pete has done research on tracks.  This has to be easy.

Pete wrote me the first of what I have come to know to be his “eye rolling, head patting” emails of explanation to me. This one pointed out that the Paducah track was an oval.

Well, yeah.  So?

Shortly after this, I began to comprehend the complexity of the subject at hand. (Read more.) 

Pete, you have really outdone yourself

That’s what 41-year SCCA veteran writes about  “Ghost Tracks”.  Check out the the rest of his comments…and those of many other readers here.

Motorsports history buffs….unite!

Are you a writer or editor with a newsletter or website on motorsports history?  We are looking for contributors to a blog site devoted to motorsports history….events, cars, people. 

Interested?  Add a post or email me at information@legacyinkpublishing.com.

It’s HERE!

Picked up the finished book yesterday.  Shelley set up a marathon signing session in Brownsville with Pete.  We will ship all the pre-orders today and Friday.  So watch the mail for your copy. 

 We drove up in two separate vehicles to get the books.  With everyone waiting for delivery, we didn’t want to wait for trucking.  After weeks of dry weather, the sky opened up and I drove home in pouring rain for most of the trip.  I kept thinking that I had most our our inventory, that represented so many months of work, packed into the van I was driving.  Didn’t want that to end up splattered all over I-57 in Southern Illinois.  But made it back to Kentucky just fine.  The books are on the shelves in inventory. 

 This is the best day of the whole process.  All (well at least most!) of the nagging and  pushing is over.  I have to say how lucky I am for all of the fine people I have worked with on this book.  Pete, of course, gave us an excellent material to start with.  Then add a generous helping of my partner Shelley’s creative genius in designing the book. Finish the whole thing off with the top quality color printing we get from United Graphics in Matoon.  The final product is engaging AND beautiful.  What else can you ask for?

Meadowdale, Marlboro, and Pacific Raceway

For your reading enjoyment….here is an excerpt from Chapter One of Ghosttracks.

“When I went searching for the remains of Meadowdale, I knew where to look from old track literature, but I wasn’t sure what I would find. As I approached the area, I began to fear that I would  find nothing, as a major shopping mall, numerous smaller stores, restaurants and filling stations took up the adjoining land. As I drove the roads that should have bordered the track property, I found new tracts of homes and town houses. It did not look promising to find the old racetrack. Then I came upon a small park area with space for a dozen cars, a single picnic table and shelter, and a sign pro-claiming it as “Raceway Woods.” The hint of hiking trails sent me exploring back into the wood where, hidden in the trees, I found an old silo with the faint traces of the words “Meadowdale Raceways” and the logo from the old “Pure” gasoline brand painted on it. Further back in the trees I realized I was standing on pavement that must have been the racetrack. For the next two hours, we were able to hike virtually the entire circuit, tracing the pavement path that had once been used by the best SCCA had to offer, both pro and amateur.”

 Keep reading here.